Mon, Jun 30th

Nothing exceptional at work. However, we stayed up late tonight to watch Andy Murray come back from two sets down to defeat Gasquet at Wimbledon. Earlier in the day Dawn and I both checked out our local Sainsbury grocery store to see if we could find some low fat Ricotta. Again no luck though.

Sat, Jun 28th

Weigh day in the White household and I am pleased to announce that I lost eight pounds this week, and Dawn lost 4. We were both pleased as this weight loss meant that we had been as successful as we had the first time we went on the diet back in 2oo4. We'll keep up phase one of the diet for another week and start introducing carbs back into our diet from next Saturday.

Today was also the 30th anniversary of the day I started work as a Cost Clerk at RW Munro Limited in Bounds Green, London. My weekly wage was £35 a week and seemed a huge sum then. Boy have times changed.

Back to 2008. After grocery shopping and lunch we caught the train up to Finsbury Park to pay Dad and George a visit. While there Dad got Dawn to program 999 (UK equivalent of 911 in the US), and then got me to help him with a problem he had with an Excel spreadsheet.

Fri, Jun 27th

It's been a real quiet week for the two of us. Basically that means the same as usual. We were both exhausted by the time we got the train home tonight and happy that we didn't have to go back for a couple of days.

As for the diet, we are still on course. Yesterday, we had another olive and feta omelet for breakfast and for dinner some pan fried Coley with some broccoli and cauliflower. The later had some low fat cheese grated over them, which really helped.

Today, we a mushroom omelet for breakfast and for dinner pan fried chicken with sauteed mushrooms and sliced tomatoes.

Now we have to wait to see how we've done tomorrow morning.

Wed, Jun 25th

Nothing of importance the last two days for the two of us. So, I will just mention our diet. Yesterday we had a couple of turkey rashers with a fried egg for breakfast, and a Salad Nicoise for dinner.

Today, we had a fried egg with some mince and onion hash for breakfast, and again a Salad Nicoise for dinner this evening.

We also had our usual lunch and snacks. I forget to mention that Dawn also had come cottage cheese with her mid morning snack.

As for drinks, if you are wondering, all we have had and will continue to have, is water, coke and a nice cup of hot tea.

Mon, Jun 23rd

Received a phone call from the building society this morning and was pleased to hear that we have reserved a fixed rate mortgage at 6.75%, pending property valuation and confirmation of application. That's one thing out of the way.

On the South Beach Diet we had an olive and feta omelet for breakfast and pan fried chicken with greens for dinner. We also had a couple of the quiches and pistachios for snacks, and a tuna salad for lunch. Before calling it a day we also had some more jello and mayo. To save repeating myself, the evening snack will be the same for the rest of the week, as will the food we have at work.

Sun, Jun 22nd

We had another food feast today. And to celebrate we took it easy and just did housework and relaxed in front of the television and watched Broken Bridges starring Toby Keith.

Now to the food as promised. For breakfast we had a couple of fried eggs with some turkey bacon rashers. It tasted pretty good. And the bacon tasted considerably better than the ones we tried in Florida. For lunch we had the rest of the fillet steak from yesterday with some sauteed mushrooms. Again we snacked on some pistachios. For dinner we had a Big Easy Creole. That's bell peppers, onions, celery and shrimp in a tomato sauce. No rice, though. We're not allowed that under the diet. Tonight we plan to finish off the jelly I made last night and make some more for tomorrow.

Oh yea, I also made some small quiches for us to take to work for snacks. No crust on these. Just egg, low fat cheese, bell peppers and spinach.

Sat, Jun 21st

Today, as we have already mentioned, we started on the South Beach Diet again. We both tried this four years ago and with mixed success. I lost nearly 16 pounds in phase one alone (2 weeks). This time I would be happy to lose 10 pounds.

Needless to say, today was all about food. And, boy did we eat well. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. And who says that you can't eat well on a diet? We started the day with a mushroom omelet and followed that up at lunch with a succulent piece of fillet steak with sauteed mushrooms and onions. During the afternoon we had 30 pistachio nuts each before completing our meals with pan fried salmon with oven baked veggies (asparagus, red onion, zucchini, red & green bell peppers). We also found some room for some sugar free jelly (jello) with a small spoonful of mayo. Like I said, not bad for a diet. I'll let you know what we eat during phase one of the diet and see if you can guess how many pounds we lose.

We also popped into town to try and sort out our mortgage. Our current fixed rate mortgage runs out in September and we need to find an alternative one. It's not going to be cheap. At the moment it looks like the interest rate we'll be paying back will jump from 4.99% to 6.75%. Best of all, we'll have to pay £599 for the pleasure.

Fri, Jun 20th

Today was our last day of eating carbs unrestricted. And wouldn't you know it? Someone in Dawn's office decided that she should give up bread a day early. At lunch time today she went to the office fridge only to find her turkey meat sandwich and coke missing. It never fails to amaze me the things that people do and how some people feel that they have the right to take other people's property without asking. The sandwich and coke was found shortly after in the kitchen trash can.

Tonight, however, we did have one last meal to celebrate going on the South Beach Diet. I popped out to Paddyfields in town and bought some Chinese and had a can of lager while Dawn had her last glass of wine for a while. We followed that later with a bar of dark chocolate Kit-Kat that we shared with a nice hot cup of Earl Grey tea.

Wed, Jun 18th

My eyes felt a little better today. But, only just. I'd always sympathized with hay fever sufferers in the past because of my own sinus problems. But after the last few weeks, I can truly relate to how uncomfortable it must be for them and how it can really spoil their summer.

Tonight Dawn called Kelly and spent a good three quarters of an hour catching up with her sister. Tiny spent the time laying by the sliding door watching a small black and white kitty that has become her friend. The two lay either side of the glass door watching each other for ages. Part of me wanted to let the kitty in so Tiny could say Hello. However, that is the stupid part of me that normally comes out with crazy ideas. Thankfully the common sense part of my brain won out as usual.

Tues, Jun 17th

After years of suffering (maybe not the right word). After years of constantly putting up with a blocked nose, it now seems that I may now have to put up with hay fever. In the past I have put my nasal problem down to my sinuses. However, over the last two weeks I have also suffered with itchy eyes. Tonight was the worst it has been. After dinner this evening I had to lay on the couch with my eyes closed as I couldn't even watch television. I even gave reading my book a miss when I went to bed, and I love reading before calling it a night.

Mon, Jun 16th

Dad has well and truly stepped over the threshold into the twenty first century. This morning as I was walking to work my cell phone, which doubles as a walkman so I was listening to my music, came to life with the sound of Luther Vandross singing "Dance with My Father." Dad was playing around with the cell phone and accidentally called me by mistake. Dawn on the other hand received a couple of text messages.

Sun, Jun 15th

Today was Father's Day and I have to say I really appreciated getting a card from both Dawn and Tiny this morning. After some breakfast and a shower we then dropped by our local recycle centre to drop off four bags of cardboard and some plastic and glass bottles. Then it was up to Dad to spend some time with him on Father's Day - something I will cherish and something I am pleased to say was able to tell him to his face. Dawn and I gave him a pay-as-you-go cell phone so we can stay in touch when he's out and about. We then had a ride up to the cemetery to lay some flowers on Mum's grave to commemorate her birthday, which was today, and to let her know that she is always in our hearts and minds. On the way back to Dad's we stopped off at the Spaniards Inn in Hampstead for a Father's Day lunch. The pub that was previously an inn dates back to 1585 and has had some famous customers down the years, including the highwayman Dick Turpin, and authors Charles Dickens and John Keats. Even today the old pub had a famous visitor - Ricky Gervais of The Office popped in. And, no I was not trying to be an amateur paparazzi. He just happened to leave as I was taking a photo of the pub before we left.

Sat, Jun 14th

Today we had did the usual Saturday things. First we filled up with petrol despite all the media making a meal out of the strike by drivers who haul petrol around the country. Although, paying £1.18 a litre did not make me smile. Thankfully this tankful will last a couple of weeks. Next we did our grocery shopping at Morrisons, then popped into town to run a few errands. First on our list was to make an appointment at Nationwide to sort out our mortgage. In September our current fixed rate mortgage comes to an end and our rate will jump from the current 4.99% to 7.24%. Next week we'll go back to see what we can sort out for the next few years. Oh the fun of being a homeowner. To drown our sorrows we dropped into the White Lion in Bengeo. It had been on Dawn's list of pubs to visit since we moved to Hertford. We weren't disappointed. The food was excellent.

Fri, Jun 13th

Unlucky for some, huh. All I will say is that somebody's boss was pretty unlucky today. Again they completely missed the opportunity to acknowledge how much someone is appreciated. That mistake, my friend, will one day come back to bite you. Remember, what goes around comes around .........

Thu, Jun 12th

Today we received a nice email from our friends who live in New Port Richey, Florida. You know who you are because you'll be reading this on Sunday. We just wanted to let you know that we think about the two of you all the time and would love to meet up with you if (or when) you can make it to England. However, it may take a little while to fit us in with your busy schedule. One neither of us envy. Especially dealing with computer systems and having to spend time away from each other while one of you is in Pittsburgh. Although, as you know, the two of us would jump at the opportunity to travel and see things. Thanks again for keeping in touch. Love, P&D.

Wed, Jun 11th

Tonight Dawn and I broke with our normal routine and did not go to bed at 9:00. Which I will add for the record does feel strange as we wake before the sun rises (currently 4:45am) and go to bed before it sets (currently 9:20pm).

Tonight we stayed up to watch The Apprentice finale. We got into this show when we lived in Florida and watched the second series with Donald Trump. However, Sir Alan Sugar leaves Trump in the shade when it comes to entertainment. Old DT just doesn't get out of the blocks. Anyway, we were both pleased that Lee McQueen and Claire Young made it to the last two. Unlike I'd Do Anything, though, I picked the winner this time. I just felt that Lee's lying on his CV and being able to do a reverse pterodactyl impression made him more suitable for the boardroom. Just kidding. I felt that he was a hard worker, prepared to make sacrifices, and was a better candidate to be shown the ropes. Unlike Claire, who I felt was already very much her own person.

Tues, Jun 10th

Tiny again is not eating her food and tonight decided that she needed a little TLC. First she woke Dawn up, who went downstairs and got a her a bowl of food that she didn't eat. Then Tiny woke me up too. About 3:15am I finally decided to take Tiny downstairs so at least Dawn could get some sleep. Five minutes later Tiny had settled down on my chest and was resting. She stayed there for the next 45 minutes before climbing onto the couch next to me to grab 40 winks. That gave me the chance to grab half an hour, too, before Dawn came downstairs and we started the usual daily routine.

Mon, Jun 9th

Dawn got out of work later than usual this evening which meant that she wouldn't make the train that arrived at Enfield Chase at 16:54. However, she bust a gut to make it to Old Street and caught the first train she could, then sent me a text to let me know that she was on the train arriving at EC at 17:24. I immediately boarded the train and looked up and down our normal carriage for her, but she wasn't there. So I called her to find out where she was. I felt a complete idiot when she told me that she was about 20 minutes away and I realised that I had boarded the 17:09 and was now heading towards Gordon Hill. Thankfully, I was able to get off there and wait for her.

Sun, Jun 8th

All I will say is that I am exhausted. Like I can keep my mouth shut. Seriously, though. Today I walked down to the paper shop to pick up the Sunday Times for Dawn. Then made breakfast (grits and fried porridge) before a shower. Then went into the spare room to give the wall its second coat of paint. As expected, it will need a third coat. However, not next weekend because it's Father's Day next Sunday and we'll be spending Sunday with Dad. It's also my mother's birthday, so we'll be going up the cemetery too.

After lunch I tackled the front yard. For someone who didn't even like mowing the yard in Florida, this was sheer hell. There were weeds galore. I'm glad to say that two hours later, the front yard looked a darn sight better. Although we still have a lot of work to do to make it look pretty. Oh well, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Sat, Jun 7th

The cell phone saga continues. The two phones arrived at 8:30 am - hurrah!!
However, when we opened the boxes they had charged Dawn £100 for the phone and had not set it up on the monthly plan, or added her old number to it. I got on the telephone yet again. Eventually they sorted Dawn's phone out, but not mine. They said it would take between 10 min and 48 hours to change my plan. Give me strength.

All this meant that we got out of the house late and had a haircut before doing our grocery shopping. In between we popped into The Old Barge for lunch. The ambiance was nice. The pub had a cosy atmosphere and right on the canal so we could watch ducks swimming past through the window. However, for us, the food left a lot to be desired.

Fri, Jun 6th

So much for my good business sense. I have spent a good few hours on the telephone with Virgin Mobile sorting out our orders over the last few days, and we still are not completely sure that we'll keep them now if or when they arrive.

The orders I placed online on Tuesday did not go through because payment for delivery (all of £3.99 each) was not processed. Needless to say, no one contacted us to tell us this. I had to call Virgin myself. Then I could not complete Dawn's order because she had to do it herself. This Dawn did when we got home last night from work. However, today when I called Virgin to check on the order, again the payment was not processed. I was not at all happy. However, by the end of the day, we were assured that both phones would be delivered on Saturday.

Tue, Jun 3rd

The two of us enjoyed a day off work today after all the excitement yesterday. Needless to say, we turned the alarm clock off so we could have a lie in. The major news of the day was that we popped into town and opened a couple of savings accounts. We have been pretty concerned for quite a while that we are less than 20 years from retirement age and don't have a penny saved for the future.

I also ordered a couple of cell phones from Virgin Mobile online. At present we both have a couple of phones on a top-up tariff. The deal I got today meant that we could get a new phone each, have a fixed monthly rate for the next 18 months, and still pay less. Now that's what I call good business.

Mon, Jun 2nd

Shortlisted for Islington Council's Green Travel Plan award, Dawn was hopeful of receiving some recognition for all the hard work she had done at CU over the last few months. Unfortunately, as our alarm clock wakes us up at around 4:30am, she would have a long wait to find out. Not only did Dawn have to complete a full and busy day's work, but she had to attend a presentation dinner tonight to find out.

No complaints with the venue, though. The awards presentation was at the Honorable Artillery Company in central London. However, with a three course meal that resembled canopies and background chamber music on violins and marching band outside (nothing to do with the presentation, I might add), nothing seemed to detract from the elegance of the building. For fun she if you can spot Dawn in the photo above!

As for Dawn returning home with an award - not this time. She barely made it home Monday. First the meal ran on longer than scheduled; then she was overlooked for the award. Leaving the presentation around 10:30pm, she had to walk to Old Street station and catch the tube to Kings Cross. There she caught a First Capital Connect train to Hertford North, arriving there at 11:38pm. I was worried sick to say the least. But, thankful more than anything that the day was over with. Dawn felt the same, but more so.

Sun, Jun 1st

The first of the month. As always, I gave Dawn a card to celebrate another month together. I've done this now for 11 years and 7 months and plan to do it for the rest of my life.

After breakfast (grits for Dawn and fried porridge for me), we had a shower and I got stuck into painting the spare bedroom walls. Unfortunately, because the walls are so dark, it will take at least two, if not three, coats to finish the job. Dawn on the other hand did the laundry and vacuuming. For lunch, I made some home made hot wings with veggies and blue cheese before Dawn had a successful video call with Brady.

When Tiny went upstairs to lie on the bed, I popped into the kitchen to make a dozen banana/apple/walnut muffins and prepare our tuna-egg salad for work. Dawn finished off the laundry and vacuuming before we finally sat down for the day.